With a liquid chromatographic mass spectrometer (LC/MS) using a mass spectrometer as a detector for a liquid chromatograph, a chromatogram such as a total ion chromatogram or a mass chromatogram for any mass to charge ratio can be created in addition to a mass spectrum at any time based on data obtained by analysis. In addition, with an LC/MS which also uses an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer such as a photodiode array (PDA) detector in addition to a mass spectrometer as a detector, an absorption spectrum at any wavelength can be created in addition to mass spectrums or various chromatograms based on data obtained by analysis. Further, with such a device, the three-dimensional data for the time, signal intensity, and mass-to-charge ratio or wavelength is obtained, so a graph such as a mapping image can also be created based on this data. Similarly for liquid chromatography (LC), analysis can be performed using a variety of detectors. Data are represented as traces in the appropriate dimensions. For example, the evaporative light scattering detector (ELSD) gives voltage against time. The refractive index detector (RID) gives refractive index units against time. The ultra-violet-visible detector cum PDA detector gives two or three dimensional data in terms of absorbance units against time or absorbance units against wavelength against time, respectively. The conductivity detector and fluorescence detector give voltage against time.
When analyzing the analysis results obtained by such an analytical device or comparing the analysis results of a plurality of samples, the analyzer appropriately screens and selects various spectrums, chromatograms, or the like, displays the data on a screen, and then closely observes a waveform in the vicinity of a target area (time, mass-to-charge ratio, or the like) or compares the shapes of a plurality of waveforms. In order to perform such an analysis smoothly with a conventional analytical device, the display region of a single window displayed on a monitor screen is divided into a plurality of regions, and the respective chromatograms, mass spectrums, or the like are displayed in each of the display regions (see Patent Literatures 1 and 2).
For example, in Non-Patent Literature 1, an example of a screen displayed by executing commercially available LC/MS data processing software on a personal computer is disclosed. This screen display example is illustrated in FIG. 13. In this example, the display region of a pane covering most of the window is divided into four regions in a windowpane shape, and the respective chromatograms, mass spectrums, or the like are arranged in each of the display regions.
In such an analytical data display processing device, there is a substantial amount of freedom in the display layout within the window with regard to the manner in which the chromatograms or spectrums are arranged within the window or the sizes of the respective display frames. Therefore, the analyzer typically changes the layout appropriately in accordance with the objective or the state of the analytical data that is obtained so that the data can be easily viewed or analyzed. However, the conventional operation for changing the layout in this way is performed by trial and error, which leads to the problem that it is troublesome for the analyzer to make the display easily viewable as desired.
In some devices, positional information or the like of each display region is saved after the layout is changed, and this information is used so that the most recently saved layout can be reproduced when the device is started next. However, with such a device, only the most recent layout can be reproduced, and it is not possible to restore the layout in accordance with the purpose or the situation. On the other hand, there are also devices which make it possible to save a layout that has been set appropriately by an analyzer by assigning a name to the layout, and with such a device, it is possible to restore a layout created at any time. However, it is necessary for the actual analyzer to remember the name assigned to the saved layout, which places a burden on the analyzer. In addition, when a plurality of analyzers share a single device, it is difficult for each analyzer to use layouts created by other users.
Further, as described in Non-Patent Literature 1, in order to compare mass chromatograms for a plurality of mass-to-charge ratios or chromatograms for different samples with a conventional analytical data display processing device, the analyzer can select a parallel display in which a plurality of chromatograms are arranged in the vertical direction, base-shifted overlapping display in which data is arranged by gradually shifting a baseline in the vertical axis (intensity axis) direction little by little on the same graph, or overlapping display without shifting in which only the color display is changed without shifting the baseline on the same graph (see Patent Literature 3).
When multiple chromatograms are displayed in an overlapping manner without shifting in order to compare the chromatograms, even if the display colors of each of the chromatogram curves differ, the display colors themselves become unclear in locations where the curves overlap. Therefore, the chromatogram on which the analyzer is focusing attention may become difficult to view. In particular, when portions detected as peaks are displayed by filling in these portions, chromatograms hidden in the background may become completely invisible. In base-shifted overlapping display, although it is easy to differentiate each chromatogram, it is difficult to compare signal intensities when the baseline is shifted, and when multiple chromatograms are displayed in a base-shifted overlapping manner, they may occupy a wide space in the vertical axis direction. On the other hand, when multiple chromatograms are displayed in parallel, an even wider space necessary in the vertical axis direction, and a plurality of chromatograms are arranged at a distance from one another, which makes it difficult to compare the detailed shapes of the waveforms.
In particular, in LC/MS using a mass spectrometer or a PDA detector as described above, there are an extremely large number of chromatograms emerging in the time axis direction from data collected in one cycle of analysis. Therefore, when using base-shifted overlapping display to compare chromatograms obtained for a plurality of samples, the number of chromatograms is too large, so it is not possible to identify each chromatogram, which often makes this method impractical. In addition, when parallel display is used, the intensity axis of each chromatogram becomes extremely small due to size restrictions of the display frames, so this method is also impractical. That is, conventional analytical data display processing devices have the problem that when the number of chromatograms to be displayed is quite large, a display that is sufficiently practical cannot necessarily be realized even when conventional overlapping display or parallel display is used.